The Complicated Life of Isabella Marie Swan
by ummmm26
Summary: What would you do if a guy you haven't talked to in eight years showed up at your doorstep? I would have thrown my toothbrush at him... but get this- I was happy to see him. Almost ecstatic, actually.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey, guys! I miss the thrill of posting new writing. (: This is something I've been writing for a while, now, and have contemplated posting... guess I'm finally doing it! It's a dramatization based off of my real life…except that I'm not a legal adult (I decided to make it more futuristic :)) and I changed the names to Edward and Bella and the gang so it would still be counted as Twilight fan fiction. I wrote this story when I was fourteen, and now I'm sixteen and a lot more critical about my writing, so if I don't post for a long time after writing this, it's probably because I'm rewriting and editing to make the story turn out the exact way I want it to.** **Let me know what you think! **

**DISCLAIMER: ALL TWILIGHT CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

* * *

"All these years and I still remember your favorite chocolate," he smiled.

I couldn't help it. My mouth stretched into a grin as I looked down at the box of Ferrero Rochers.

"You haven't changed a bit," he added, sounding a little relieved.

He sat back; arms folded under his head, and closed his eyes. I took the moment to study him and how we had ended up here.

There were the same emerald green eyes, unusual bronze hair, decent eyebrows, and straight nose. Girlier eyelashes, like he'd always had. He was muscled, but not ripped like a football player. A little lankiness, I noticed. Some jock-like tendencies even though high school had long been over. I could see no imperfections in him yet, but from what I remember, he was obsessed with sports. All his girlfriends had been on the school teams and he himself had been on three. He was just another shallow, self-centered guy. So why, exactly, was he so significant to my eyes? _Out of all people…_

His name was Edward. We had grown up together, but like all "friends," we'd parted ways. Not when we left for college, though. We'd barely graduated middle school when it happened. I used to tell myself that it was because of puberty, but the "puberty" lasted throughout all our high school years and our post secondary years so far, too. Gee, I felt so appreciated.

Right now, I was an editor with, actually, a really good salary. I had a bit of a reputation going for me, but not so much that everyone would recognize me before I even entered a public place. My job completely reflected my personality, since I was fun-loving, but quiet around people I didn't know, and I'd been a bookworm in school. I had a well-furnished apartment here in LA, and had caught up with four (yes, four!) of my childhood friends as we all had decided to move to the "land of opportunities" for/after college. Coincidence, right? Not for the most part. Our parents had it all planned out—maybe they were a _little_ overprotective of us. But hey, we weren't complaining. We'd been best friends forever and it was nice to be together again. We still had our separate colleague friends, but I hoped _we_ were in it forever.

Yes, Edward. You haven't taken away my ability to hope.

He'd knocked on my door early this Saturday morning, and to say I was surprised would be an understatement. I mean, what would _you_ do if the guy who hasn't talked to you in eight years shows up at _your_ house? I would have thrown my toothbrush at him, which I was conveniently holding in my hand while I'd answered the door...

But get this—I was happy to see him. Almost ecstatic, actually. The twinge of anger I'd felt before was just that- a twinge. If my friends had been there, they would've flipped out. All of us had been good friends, and they thought it was idiotic of him to distance himself from us.

So, back to my question. Why was I happy? Why was I smiling at him? Why _didn't _I chuck my toothbrush? The Complicated Life…of Isabella Marie Swan.

* * *

**AN: This was short, but it was a sneak peak. If you like it, please review! I will continue posting if I get feedback. (: **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Chapter Two (: thanks to anon for reviewing (:  
********Right now, I'm in the process of rewriting/re-editing some plot faults in the coming chapters, so even though I'm spacing the updates out, I do have most of the story already written. This is hopefully going to be of better quality than my other ones since I'm spending more time on it (: Tell me how you like it!**

**DISCLAIMER: ALL TWILIGHT CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER. **

**Picking up where we left off...**

* * *

"What do you mean I haven't changed a bit?" I asked. One of my annoying habits as an editor was to have everyone clarify what he or she was saying, whether said person was a colleague who actually worked with me or not.

He opened his eyes. "I mean, you're certainly more successful and independent, but underneath all the professional stuff, you're still, well, _you_."

"Yeah, and underneath all _your _professional stuff, _you_ aren't." I mentally slapped myself. I always lashed out at him for what he did at the most unexpected moments. I was a very outspoken person when it came to talking to friends. Back when we'd parted ways, he'd said that he was still my friend, but I knew the truth; he was too lazy to maintain our relationship. Once in a while when we'd meet because our parents were friends, I'd let him know how I felt about his actions. The worst part was that he always gave me this amused look when I did so and I'd start swearing at him in my head. I should have slapped him and never spoken to him again. But…you know. Ahem… awkward…

I really didn't know what I was doing or why I was so conflicted with all of this all those years ago and even now. The best thing to do, though, was to allow him to speak and _then _shove him off my favorite chair, kick him out, and shut the door in his face.

"Okay, really, Edward. I have stuff to do and places to go. Just tell me why you're here."

He slowly sat upright and the atmosphere was suddenly really serious. "Well," he said. "I…"

I was really curious now. What could be so important that _he_ could suddenly turn so serious and go to _me_ for it?

"Umm…"

"Edward." It was weird how saying his name kept giving me flashbacks of when we were in middle school. Him smiling, him laughing, some of those kinda "magical" moments were I swore he was trying to tell me he really did think I was his best friend.

"Sorry. I just-"

Hmm. His hesitation reminded me of something…

'_Sorry, I just…wanted to ask you to prom,' he said shyly. It was like heaven had opened up just for me. _

'_You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to utter those words,' I expressed. He stepped closer…_

Oh yeah. The crap book I'd edited last month. The author had claimed it would be a classic. It never even made it past my office. I mean, the detail was amazing, but the story line…eh. That wasn't the point though. My subconscious was mourning again. I had to come to terms that Senior Year was over for me and Edward never took me to prom. (Why would he, anyway…) I went with Jeff Jacobs. Good old, safe, reliable, Jeff Jacobs who I had no feelings for. Oh joy.

Whoa, back to the present… "Will you please tell me? My mind keeps wandering."

He looked up and his mouth turned into a sly grin. "What exactly do you mean by _wandering_?"

I gulped. "I'm warning you, this is a dangerous subject."

He laughed and smirked at the expression of murder on my face.

The exact moment he said, "Okay well I-" I grumbled, "I was thinking-"

He stopped. "You go first."

My eyes widened. I hadn't realized he would hear me mumbling to myself. I was going to say, "I was thinking about stinking senior prom," but that wasn't a good subject to bring attention to with him there.

"Nothing. You go."

He looked annoyed with my secrecy, but spoke. "Your parents are coming over to my parents' house for Christmas this year. They wanted us to come, too."

"Huh?" I couldn't remember the last time his parents had invited us over for anything. His mom adored me, but the family was all kinds of busy and rarely had time for any get-togethers.

"I know. I can't believe it either." Whoa, there. Wrong thing to say. I smacked him.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"You practically just admitted that it's weird your parents invited us over for something."

"Well, it is, isn't it?"

I tensed, ready to smack him again. He hadn't changed at all in the ways I hoped he had.

"Whoa, just hear me out. I said that because it's been eight years and they _just _thought of doing so. What were they doing all this time?"

"Gee, I was about to ask the same thing," I said, rolling my eyes. "Wait. You don't know what they've been doing these past years?"

He shook his head. "Every time I went over, it was just the four of us. That's what I'm trying to say. I can't believe they _just _thought of inviting you over."

I was gobsmacked. He actually _cared_? He _had_ changed. "Oh. Well, yeah. But, uh…I'm happy they finally thought of us. It'll be…fun." My goodness. Did I just say yes?

He raised an eyebrow, but said, "Yeah. We have a lot to catch up on."

"Mmm-hmm." I was going to have to tell the "besties," of course, before they found out for themselves and ate me alive. Because I was curious, I asked, "Eight years and no Facebook interaction, messaging, nothing?" I grinned smugly when he stopped short.

"I could say the same for you." I grimaced. Oh yeah.

"Can _you_ not approach _me _for once?"

He rolled his eyes. I suddenly remembered I had to do some stuff left over from work and then go shopping with the girls for Christmas season.

"Hey, um, Edward, you weren't thinking of staying over the entire day, were you?"

"No. I have a life."

I smiled and smacked him. "So do I."

"Oh yeah. My parents told me that after I invite you, we should hang out once before heading home."

I paused. "That's… doable." Tell. The. Girls. "When are we leaving?"

"Next Saturday."

"How about we make plans for that Friday?"

"Are you procrastinating me?" he smiled.

"Yes. You're the most annoying person in the world," I shot back.

"Okay, then. Next Friday. Good thing, because I'm booked the whole week."

I raised an eyebrow. "Edward, don't you live in New York? You have friends here?"

"Yeah, I live in New York. And yeah, I have some…former colleagues here."

"Ha! Liar. You need me this whole week, don't you?"

He frowned. "No. I have stuff from work I need to do. I'll be pretty busy."

"It's okay, Edward," I teased. "Just tell me you need me to hang out with you the rest of the weekend and I won't say a word."

He rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

I laughed. "Okay, well I'm busy today, so maybe I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Whatever. Later," he waved as I, only to satisfy myself, slammed the door in his face…just a little bit!

-.-.-.-

"Whoa. Unexpected," was Alice's reply when I told her about Edward showing up and inviting me over for Christmas. We were hanging out by the apartment complex pool (she lived in the same apartment building as me) and there was no one else around. I was half sitting up half lying down on my beach chair, absent-mindedly rubbing in more sunscreen. Alice was lying down in her bathing suit and I'd already seen some guys walking by who were wolf whistling at her, not that she cared anymore. We always got that kind of reaction here.

"Yup. And he lived in New York the last time I checked with my 'source.'" We both knew my "source" was Emmett, Alice's 20-and-a-half-year-old (he kept reminding us) brother, who still lived in Minnesota and went to parties involving Edward's parents all the time. I sometimes just called him our source to make it sound secretive. The rest of our little Indian crew thought it was more stalkerish than secretive. It wasn't my fault Emmett started to gush about Edward whenever I simply called him up to say hi…

"Turns out he was right. So why the heck would Edward fly across the country just to invite me over?" I said, taking my sunglasses off of my eyes to emphasize my surprise.

"Hmm. Maybe his parents feel bad about drifting away from us, so they made him fly across the country, told him to invite you over, and hang out with you for a while before you fly back home," Alice said, closing her eyes as she tried to sunbathe even though she was perfectly tan. Lucky bitch; my skin burnt every time I tried.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. But I also thought he'd rebel and be all 'No, mom, I'm an independent adult now,'" I said, imitating some kind of deep, buff voice.

She laughed. "I thought we weren't supposed to make fun of boys' voices anymore."

I shrugged. "You know what? Maybe he's just a Mommy's Boy."

"Or maybe he actually wanted to do it," Alice suggested offhandedly.

I narrowed my eyes at her as I thought to myself. No way would he want to do _anything_ for me. At least, I didn't think so.

"Anyway, we should all hang out together. Maybe just go out for dinner and watch a movie or something? It'll be cool. Oh, and you'd better get shopping for Christmas. I could help, but you should ask Edward for help since you're going to have to give stuff to his family. Christmas shopping just got even more important for you, my friend."

"I like the dinner and movie idea, and yeah, I know. I'm not too freaked out about giving his mom a present, since she loves me and I'm completely comfortable with her, and his dad will be okay, too, I guess, but what do I get for _him_? _You_ have a brother, what are you getting him?" I asked, turning to her.

"I just give him car servicing coupons. And sometimes I just say something cheesy and tell him that a brother/sister bond is too strong for giving each other presents. He accepts that once in a while."

"Oh. Nice!" Emmett was planning on getting his own place up here by his sister, thus probably needing coupons for car servicing.

"Yeah. It's us and the Denali family this year."

"Hmm. Have fun." Carmen and Eleazar Denali were nice people that Edward, Alice, and I had grown up with in Minnesota, but their daughters were another story. Tanya had what I liked to call a "chronic illness" that made her think that she had a chance with Edward every other year. She asked him out in eighth grade, then tenth grade, and then our senior year again. She reeked of desperation, and her sister Irina turned green out of jealousy as she watched her sister move on to guy after guy to desensitize herself to Edward's rejection.

"Anyway, do you want to get started today?"

"Let's do it. Call up the other girls and we'll get everything done together."

I nodded and an hour later we were off in Alice's red convertible.

"Hmm. I'm so glad you guys called me to come. I would've totally forgotten about Christmas," Zafrina thanked us as she stuffed her face with pretzels at last minute before hopping into the convertible. She and Maggie, who climbed in after her, were still in college, and it was pretty rare that they'd take the time to come Christmas shopping with us instead of taking a quick trip by themselves because of the loads of homework they got.

"Hey, we're just happy you decided to come," I smiled back as everyone got situated.

"So, Bella," Rosalie, our fourth friend, grinned, looking at me as I peered at her from the rearview mirror.

"What?" I said back.

"I heard Edward showed up at your doorstep." I opened my mouth to tell her off.

"Isn't that what happens in, like, romantic movies and stuff?" Zafrina oh-so-helpfully pointed out before I could say anything.

"Gross," I said automatically. Everyone laughed.

"To answer your question, Rose, yeah, he did. But not to 'proclaim his love,' hon," I said, rolling my eyes at Zafrina.

"I knew it," she insisted.

"Sure you did," Maggie said.

I quickly filled everyone in on the whole story and they all agreed with the dinner and movie idea Alice had come up with…except Rose.

"Nope, nope, nope. You cannot _pay_ me to sit in a room with him," she said, turning away from Alice as she tried to persuade her. Rosalie'd had a little spat with him a while ago, too.

I laughed, completely understanding how she felt. But I'd seen how he'd changed, slightly or not, and wanted her to meet him after all these years and see the difference.

"Dude, Rosalie, you know I'd be the first one to take your side, but he's changed a little… in a good way, of course. You should meet the newish-him before deciding anything—but that's just my opinion," I added as I practically saw the smoke coming from her ears.

"I'll take your word for it," she said hesitantly, "but heaven help me, if that boy does anything I don't like, I'm out of there faster than you can say 'hot, egotistical bad boy.'" All of us burst out laughing at this.

Rose used to like Edward, but then when he accused her of being a stalker—which she wasn't—her love melted into pure hatred and out of confusion, she nicknamed him 'hot, egotistical bad boy' in middle school.

"It'll be fine," Alice dismissed, but then thought about it. "I hope," she corrected as we parked the car in the mall parking lot.

-.-.-.-

"Well, I'm pooped," Zafrina announced, dropping her bags on my couch and plopping down to sigh in exhaustion.

"No feet on the table," I reminded her as she popped a pistachio in her mouth. I always left a plate full of pistachios there incase someone came over unexpectedly. I didn't know why, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.

"Dude, you're such a neat freak these days," Rose pointed out, rolling her eyes. "Is it because you want your place to look impressive for when Mr. Rich Man possibly comes over again?" She grinned saucily.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "I was going to ask you guys to stay over, but now that you're being mean…"

"No, don't even listen to Rosalie. I don't and look at how happy I am," Sanya told me.

"Hey!" Rose laughed. "Whatever. I'm staying over no matter what." All of the girls agreed and Alice went to the freezer to get out my last tub of Ben and Jerry's. We crowded around my coffee table and shared a few funny work stories while we thought of what to do.

"We should watch a movie or something," Zafrina said, finally bored.

"We've watched them all," Alice reminded her. "Bella, when was the last time you updated your movie collection? The last year you lived with your parents?"

"_Ooh, diss_," Rosalie said, only saying so because she really needed something to do.

"Really, guys? Are you sure we've watched _Bounty Hunter_ before?" I mocked.

"We saw that, and I would not like to experience it again," Maggie waved off.

Just then, my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID.

"Edward?"

Everyone started at the phone, then at me.

"Quiet, everyone! Stay still!"

"Shh!"

"Shoosh!"

The girls looked at me, anxious to listen to the conversation. Was it just me, or were we back in high school again?

"Hello?" I answered. They leaned closer so they could hear. I shook my head and put it on speaker.

"Hey. Just wanted to ask what exactly we're doing on Friday."

"Calling on the same day you visited, Edward? Not cool," I teased. Alice giggled and Rose gave me a thumbs up sign.

"Oh, haha. Shut up. Seriously, tell me."

"Well, I talked to the girls…"

"The…girls?"

"Yeah. And they said we should all get together and go out to dinner and then come back and watch a movie at my place."

"Do I know 'the girls?'"

I bit my lip and looked at them.

"Don't tell him," Alice mouthed and winked. I knew exactly why she said so.

"Umm, well, I don't really know. _Do_ you?"

"Come on, Bella. Answer my question."

"Hey," I defended. "Now you know how I feel all the time when I talk to you."

I could practically see him rolling his eyes at me on the other side, but he sighed in defeat. "I won't forget to ask later," he promised and threatened at the same time.

"Sure you won't, buddy," I said back, and Zafrina was so surprised by my teasing that she choked on her ice cream.

"Okay, I like the idea, so see you Friday," he said reluctantly. I could totally tell he was trying to suppress his curiosity.

I laughed to myself. "Okay. See you." I hung up.

"That was beautiful," Zafrina said as she wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye. "We've taught you well."

"No kidding," Alice said. "He's not the _only one_ who's changed even in the slightest bit."

"I haven't changed that much," I disagreed.

"Well, you changed in a good way; you are now immune to his bullcrap. That's all that matters," Maggie said.

We all laughed.

* * *

**AN: Hopefully I gave you a bit more material this time! ****Please feel free to leave a review (: **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks for all the alerts and favorites, guys! (: Sorry it took me sooo long to update.**

**DISCLAIMER: ALL TWILIGHT CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.**

* * *

_**The Next Week**_

Friday morning, I woke up with a start.

"Ugh. Only a dream," I told myself sleepily. I looked back at my bed and it didn't appear very welcoming. It was too hot—even though the sun was still working on getting past the horizon. I decided to just go out. I could do some thinking and the vitamin D would do me good. Besides, the beaches would probably be less crowded this early in the morning.

I showered, put on some beach clothes, got some editing stuff I needed to finish along with a good book and my iPhone, and walked out of my house.

I didn't really need to bring all that stuff; at the beach I just stared at the water and zoned out, the draft I was supposed to work on laying uselessly by my side. I didn't know what time it was when I finally snapped out of it and looked at my cell phone. I had three missed calls from Maggie.

"Hey, Maggie."

"Bella Swan! Where have you been?"

"I'm down at the beach. Sorry I didn't pick up, I…I don't know. I was just…thinking."

"What about?" she asked.

"I don't know," I grumbled. "I had a pretty weird dream last night and I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I came out here to do some work, but then I started spacing out. It wasn't even exactly spacing out, it was like I was so deep in thought I didn't even _know_ I was deep in thought."

"That's weird."

"Yeah."

"I'm coming down to talk to you and bringing Alice, too," she decided after a while.

"Umm, you don't have to-"

"Oh, yes I do."

I sighed, said bye, and hung up.

"So, do you mind explaining this?" Alice asked as I stared at the sand between my toes, unblinking.

"I don't know."

"I mean the dream, Bella."

I huffed. "I barely remember it now. All I know is that it kinda freaked me out.

"Try remembering."

I rolled my eyes at her common logic, but tried it anyway. "Edward didn't know who we were," I said after a second.

She sighed. "Really? That's the dream?"

I shrugged.

"Why do you think you were so freaked out?" she questioned.

Maggie got up. "I'm getting us some frappachinos."

We watched her leave, and then I turned back to the waves.

"Where is she going to get a frappachino on this beach?" Alice snorted.

But I wasn't listening, trying to work up the courage to continue on and tell Alice the rest of the dream. I was afraid she would roll her eyes at me.

"I think it was more along the lines of Edward completely hating us because he didn't recognize us and we got thrown out of his Mr. Rich Man house," I admitted.

"When did we start calling him Mr. Rich Man?" Alice asked me.

"I don't know. I don't even know if he's rich!" I said.

"You don't know a lot of things."

I shrugged. "That's what it was about. It was pretty scary to me. I've known him forever. First he started distancing himself from us and now to dream that he forgets us completely? It gives me goose bumps," I confided.

"I don't really understand that," Alice said after a minute, "but I kind of do. I just wouldn't be as scared."

We were quiet for a moment, me wondering why it scared me more than it scared Alice, and then she said, "You know what you really need?"

"What?"

"A spa day."

I groaned. "Beauty products? No. _You're_ the one that said I had natural beauty…"

She laughed. "Sure." Another silence went by.

"I feel like this is entirely his fault. You were just fine until he came along," Alice finally said. "I kind of liked the stronger you, but I guess it was all on the outside. Look at you now. I mean, you handle his… 'bullcrap,'" I smiled, "when faced with him perfectly, but then you have one dream and you're out here."

"I know," I said. "I feel like a wimp."

"You're not a _wimp_," she objected. "You just…weren't prepared for his presence. The longer he was away from you, the stronger you became. Now he shows up in all his tan, muscled, 22-year-old glory and catches you completely off guard."

"Tell me about it," I sighed, thinking back to him showing up at my front door. "Wait. How did this completely become about me? Aren't you guys a little pissed at him? And what do his looks have to do with anything?" I asked, thinking back to the words _tan _and _muscled_.

She stared at me.

"What?"

"Yes, we're a _little_ pissed, but not as much as you are. He's not as important to us."

"Huh?"

She smirked. What…? I was as confused as Zafrina usually was at that moment.

"And his looks…well his looks definitely count for _something_," she continued, smirking even more.

"What thing?" I insisted.

"I'm going to see how Maggie's coming along with those frappachinos," she said, and then she got up and _ditched _me!

I took out my phone and immediately called Rosalie.

"What's up?"

"You're our little Alice dictionary, right? What does it mean when Alice tells me that Edward's looks definitely count for _something_?'"

"She said that?"

"Yes! What does it mean?"

"LOL. That's really funny!"

"ROSALIE! What does it MEAN?!"

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I won't be able to speak through my laugh attack. Gotta go!"

"You're not even _having_ a laugh attack!" I shouted even though she'd already hung up.

I'd already showered and everything, but was wrapped in a towel robe when the doorbell rang. Thankfully, Rose had come over to get have a spa night yesterday night and then had a sleepover (Alice had a night out with colleagues and Maggie and Zafrina were buried under mountains of homework, though I didn't know why Rose didn't have the same case) so she got up and opened the door.

"Umm, hi. Where's Bella?"

My lip gloss strayed from the outline of my lips. He was here so soon?! I'd thought it was Alice! I wish I could see the look on his face, though. He didn't know that _Rosalie_, out of all people, was one of "the girls."

"She's in the bathroom. She'll be out in a second," I heard Rose's hard-edged voice say. "Why don't you come in and make yourself…_comfortable_?"

_Please, please, please don't embarrass yourself…and me!_ I pleaded to her in my head.

"Uh, okay." Edward probably shrugged, and I heard them sit down. I was frantically finishing my make up and finding my shorts now. How attractive it would be to show up with only a bra and underwear on…

"So, do you remember me?" Rose said after a few seconds.

"Not really," he said. I rolled my eyes. Of course he remembered her.

"I'm Rosalie. You know, the girl you accused of stalking you?" I winced as I could almost see her narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh, um, hi," Edward said awkwardly.

There was a moment of silence.

"So, what are you doing nowadays? Living in New York, I heard?" Rose said, still speaking to him hard-edgily.

"Uh, yeah. Er, what's up with you? Still in school?"

"Yes."

"Cool. What are you majoring in?"

"Child psychology."

I dropped my deodorant stick. Child psychology? What was so she talking about?

"Bella? You okay in there?" Rosalie asked in concern.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine!" I yelled back.

"Child psychology? That's interesting," Edward said. His interest seemed real.

"Yeah. I'm already interning, too. Right now I'm working with stuck up, arrogant teenagers who think they have everything when no one really likes them and the one girl that's supported them all along is slipping away from them as we speak and they have too big of heads to notice!" She took a few breaths to calm down since she worked herself up so much.

I slapped my forehead. She was _so_ going to embarrass herself and me in the process as well. I shouldn't have even hoped.

"That's…cool…"

Just then, the door opened again.

"Hey, Edward!" It was Alice.

"Hey." He didn't _sound_ surprised. Maybe he figured it out on his own after all…

"Long time, no see! Where ya been?"

"New York. I've seen your brother Emmett down in Minnesota a few times whenever I've come to visit my parents."

"Yeah. He's moving up here in a few months, though."

"That's nice."

"Yup. Where's Bella?"

"In the bathroom," Rose answered.

"What's taking her so long?" Edward wondered. I narrowed my eyes at the door, pretending that he could see my Death Stare.

"She's a girl. What do you expect? You have a mom, you should know how long it takes for us," Rose shot back.

"Hey, Rose, I was going to tell you something, but I forgot…" Alice said. "Oh, yeah! I read your sub-article. It was amazing! I even rec'd it to my friend! You're going to be an amazing reporter one day," she beamed.

Oh, brother…

"A reporter?" Edward said confusedly. "She said she was majoring in child psychology."

"Uh, yeah! I'm a… child reporter! I'm going to report the psychology of children," Rosalie laughed nervously.

"Pshh, no you aren't," Alice dismissed. "There is no such thing. And you hate children. You're majoring in journalism! Or am I missing something?"

"Nope," Maggie said, coming through the door. "Last time I checked, she was still majoring in journalism. Hi, Edward."

"Hey, Mags."

The fact that he seemed comfortable enough to shorten Maggie's name gave me hope that he didn't mind that I didn't tell him that he would be meeting his old friends again. That he didn't hate them…

"But then what was that whole big speech she gave me?" he asked, turning back to the subject at hand. A subject I needed to help Rosalie avoid thanks to her _big_ mouth!

"What speech?" Maggie asked curiously.

Errghh…..

"It was about how she's interning and working with stuck-up teenagers who had no one in life and that their girlfriends were drifting away from them or something."

Uh-oh.

"Hi, guys!" I entered the scene before anyone could say anything.

"Hi," Edward said as he scrutinized Rosalie. Her face was red. I'd never seen her turn red before.

_She's talking about you, idiot. Realize it. Except for the girlfriend part. That's not me. Unless you have a girlfriend in New York that has also realized you're a jerk…_ I snorted to myself.

"Why are you looking at Rose like that? Come on, we have to go to dinner!" I said, grinning to myself as I turned away and everyone followed me out of the apartment.

"You could have told me that you've been sticking with the same 'posse' for so long," Edward half sneered behind me. So he had just been playing it cool…

I felt a sort of crushing disappointment, but I couldn't let him see. I shrugged. "Thought you'd be smart enough to guess."

He almost stopped walking. I knew I'd catch him off guard with that reply. I continued smiling.

* * *

**AN: So… Edward definitely has something he's hiding, and Bella not only knows what it is, but knows how to push his buttons after all these years xD Let's see what happens :)**

**Some kind of review, (I honestly don't care if it's a one-word "wassup" or if it's a long detailed explanation of why this story sucks) would greatly be appreciated! (: Please and thank you! (: **


End file.
